10 Years Later
by Kreuger2
Summary: A High School reunion story... Life may have moved on, but emotions aren't that easy.
1. Chapter 1

I started this story months ago, I haven't done any work on it in a long time. I've just finished it now, I don't think it's my best work, but there are parts of it I like.

It was intended to be a one shot, but there may be a second part... no promises.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, I'm just having my fun!

xxxxx

It had been 10 years since High school had finished, it was possibly the happiest day of her life. In the last 10 years she had been able to leave her old life behind, she wasn't the same person she was back then. She moved out to San Diego after college, she had always wanted to get out of Neptune, but her reluctance to move away from her father meant that she never went very far. She was back now for that all important high school reunion, where people who haven't spoken to each other for 10 years get together in a bid to outdo each other in how their lives are progressing.

Until she received the invite she hadn't even considered that her life wasn't successful, she had a job she loved, friends and a doting father. She had never needed anything else. Except now she was stood outside her old high school about to face her former classmates and it was starting to occur to her that maybe she wanted more out of her life. She had had three relationships in the last 10 years, the longest of which was with her high school sweetheart Logan Echolls. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that it wasn't the opinions of her classmates that bothered her but the opinion of one in particular. Could she really handle facing Logan and the trophy on his arm alone?

Since graduating college she hadn't spoken to her ex-boyfriend. While they were both studying at the same college they were forced to come face to face on a regular basis and they managed to remain friends. When college was over it was harder for them to maintain that connection, and eventually it became too hard to try. Since then her only source of information on the life of a man she used to love were the frequent articles in the tabloid magazines. Since becoming a movie producer he was often seen on the cover of said magazines with a different girl attached to various parts of his anatomy. In recent years these images have become Logan and just one woman, a Russian Supermodel who according to recent reports is Logan's fiancée.

Now she was stood outside her former high school seriously considering turning around and walking the other way. "If you do what I know you're thinking about doing our friendship is over."

"C'mon Wallace, you were a God in high school, people are going to notice if you aren't there, me? Not so much."

"I'm gonna notice, I am not going in there alone. You promised."

"That was last week when I was still in San Diego and this seemed like the distant future. Now it's a very real present and I'm starting to remember exactly why it was that I hated high school."

"It wasn't all that bad was it? I mean you met me?"

"The highlight of my tenure here obviously."

"Damn straight! Now c'mon woman you owe me."

"Fine. Let's get this over with." She linked her arms with his and they entered the building maybe the sooner she got in there the sooner she could leave. She walked into the main hall with her head held high, she wouldn't let the jerks get her down then, and she sure as hell wasn't going to let them get to her now. "If you abandon me at any point tonight you're going down." To that Wallace just smiled, she didn't seriously expect him to stay by her side. Maybe.

The party was in full swing when they got there, it was what Veronica was counting on. A busy room and everyone was distracted, this allowed her to slip in unnoticed and head straight to the bar. The first person she encountered was the last person she wanted to see, it shouldn't surprise her, where else was she going to find Dick Casablancas than at the bar?

"Veronica Mars."

"Dick, how've ya been?" She really couldn't care less but she was raised to be polite, besides pretending she couldn't hear him was probably only going to make things worse.

"Chillin' in the Bahamas. You know?"

"Sure, why would you want to work for a living?"

"I'd totally love to chat but Maia Turner got hot, see ya later." With that he walked away.

"You know this whole sticking by my side thing is supposed to offer me some protection, that means steering me away from the Dick Casablancas' of our graduating class."

"You walked right toward him; I thought you knew he was there."

"Yeah 'cos we were such good friends I wanted to catch up on old times."

"You know if you had warned me that this reunion was going to put you in such a foul mood I wouldn't have insisted that you come with me."

"I trust you'll bear this in mind for next time?" They just grinned at each other, "I'm sorry I'm being such a bitch."

"It's cool I get it, school was not the best time of your life."

"For more reasons than one," She casts her glance to the door, "Great, I guess I knew that he was going to be here but did he have to bring her?"

Wallace turned to look where she was looking, "I thought you were over this?" He says this with a knowing glint in his eye.

"Don't bother with I told you so, just get better with the wing manning. I'm gonna need a couple more of these things before I'm ready to face him." She turns back to the bar to order another drink.

It's at least an hour before Wallace inevitably leaves her side, she has so far managed to avoid any further unwanted encounters, but as soon as she is left alone she finds herself face to face with Madison Sinclair. "Great."

"Still little miss sunshine I see?"

"It's the anticipation of getting to chat with you like the good old days, I even put aside a table at the back so that we could get together to braid each others hair."

"Whatever. So, you seen Logan yet? His girlfriend is like, so hot. Must kinda suck right?"

"Can't get any worse than this. See you later Madison." With that she walked away, if she can keep all these horrible encounters brief she might just survive the night.

It's another ten minutes before she has to make nice with Logan Echolls. It wasn't like she was holding any resentment anymore; it was just that not talking to him would be so much easier than talking. "I was wondering if you were going to talk to me tonight."

"I'm sorry I... It's been a long night. I'm a little out of my element, if I had my way I wouldn't be talking to anyone."

"So why come?"

"Wallace made me."

"I've missed you Veronica." There was a tone to his voice she pretended not to notice.

"From what I gather you've managed to fill the void." He didn't respond. "I'm sorry that was uncalled for. I see your fiancée is with you tonight."

"Yeah, you wanna meet her?"

She didn't. She had a feeling it would be easier to hate her if she didn't speak to her. "Sure, lead the way."

Together they crossed the hall to where Logan's fiancée was talking to Dick Casablancas. "Honey I want you to meet somebody. Elena this is Veronica, Veronica this is Elena my fiancée."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too." Veronica reached out her hand to shake as Elena leaned in to kiss her cheek. She was stunning there was no denying that, her voice was soft and lilting, she was exactly the kind of girl every man would want whether he knew it of not. "How are you enjoying this little get together?"

"I love finding out about Logan as a kid, he sounds so mischievous."

"That's one way to put it."

"So Veronica where you and Logan good friends at High School?"

"We er, we went out, it was sort of a tumultuous relationship."

"That's one way of putting it. Veronica and I were... volatile."

"He seems happy now though. How long have you two known each other?"

"A little over a year, we met on a movie set, he was the most arrogant guy I ever met."

"I guess old habits die hard."

"Usually when I meet guys they go out of their way to be noticed by me, Logan was completely indifferent to me. Which of course drove me crazy. I think he is the only guy I ever had to chase."

"But it was worth it wasn't it?"

"You still think extremely highly of yourself I see."

"How could I not?"

Eventually Veronica was rescued by Wallace. They made it through the rest of the night unscathed and they parted ways in the parking lot.

"You know we really should make more of an effort to get together more often."

"I know. So when are you headed back?"

"I got a couple weeks off work; my dad's been at me to come pay him a visit so I'll be here for a while."

"Great, give me a call."

"I promise. See ya later Wallace."

The next couple of days she spent hanging out with her dad, but eventually he had to get back to work. When Vinnie Van Lowe was pushed out of office Keith finally gave up on being Sheriff. All he ever really wanted was a competent person in office. Once that had been achieved he was quite content to live the quiet life. With time to herself Veronica went on a tour of the town that was home to her for her first twenty some years.

After a walk on the beach and a drive through the 09er side of town she came to a stop at Java the Hut. She was surprised when a few minutes after arriving she was approached by Logan.

"This seat taken?" She wished she could say yes. The feelings she had been trying to deny all this time were thrust upon her at the reunion. She couldn't deny that she was still very much in love with her High School Sweetheart. Pathetic.

"Take a seat. I thought you'd have left town by now."

"Me too. I guess I started to realise how much I missed this place."

"Is... Is Elena still here?"

"She's headed out to LA for a couple of days. Are you doing anything tonight? I thought maybe you could come over to my hotel, get some Chinese and catch up on the last few years?"

The many reasons why this was a bad idea raced through her mind so she was surprised when the words fell from her mouth. "That sounds good."

She hesitated at Logan's door, he was in the same room he had stayed in while they were together, this was going to be a very bizarre experience. She took a deep breath and was about to knock when the door opened.

"Hey, come on in."

"Wow, flashback. This place hasn't changed at all."

They spent the night eating Chinese, watching movies and talking about the last few years. They hadn't deliberately severed all ties. They went their separate ways after college and it was easier for them to separate themselves than it was to try and string out their fractured relationship. Logan moved out to LA to work in movies, only unlike the rest of his family Logan was quite content behind the camera.

They chatted until the early hours of the morning, when Veronica noticed the time she panicked. She was far too comfortable in his company. To make matters worse she could tell that the last few years had matured him. He wasn't the guy that she used to know, and that definitely wasn't a bad thing.

"I really should get back, my dad will no doubt be waiting up for me, 28 years old and he still feels the need to wait up for me."

"Sure. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Nothing."

"You wanna hang out? I'm gonna be heading back in a few days and it would be really good to spend some more time with you before I go."

Her head was screaming at her to say no. It was definitely not a good idea for her to spend the day with Logan Echolls, so she was surprised when the words flew from her mouth.

"Sure, just give me a call. Hey Logan, I should have said the other day, I missed you too." She paused for the briefest moment before she muttered, " Good night." With that she made a fast retreat.

The next day she came from her room just as her father was making breakfast, "You were out late last night." While phrased like a mere observation, they both knew he was fishing for information.

"Yes I was, but the beauuty of being 28years old is that I get to keep my sec rets guilt free." She smiled at him.

"I always find out you know?" He sat down and offered her a plate.

"There's nothing to know, just catching up with an old friend." With that she stuffed a fork full of bacon into her mouth in the hope that she wouldn't have to divulge anything more. She should have just told him, they were only talking, so why did she feel so guilty?

Once her father had left for work she showered and changed, and then she headed out to meet Logan. She didn't dwell on the extra time she had spent on her hair, or the extra attention to detail when applying her make-up. Instead she swallowed the feeling that she was headed out on a date and told herself she was meeting a friend.

"Hey, you look good." He offered when they met outside his hotel.

She gave him a small smile, "Thanks, so what do you want to do today?"

They hung out at the beach, grabbed lunch from a vendor, walked by Neptune High school and a number of other sights that were important in their shared history. In the evening they went for dinner at a restaurant out of town. Veronica was pleased to be going somewhere where Logan wasn't quite so well known, she was having a good day and she didn't want to share him.

"This has been great, it's almost a shame to go back to reality." She smiled brightly at him. She was planning on heading back to San Diego in a couple of days, and she knew that despite their best efforts they wouldn't be keeping in touch. She didn't want him to see how much that realisation hurt.

He reached out and took her hand across the table, "I'd forgotten how good it felt to be with you."

"Logan..." She breathed.

"I know, we've moved on from that, it's been years, I have Elena, I know all the reasons why I should go right now and never look back, but Veronica don't you feel it? Stay with me tonight?"

"I can't do that Logan." She was angry at the suggestion, mostly because she found herself wanting to go along with him.

"Just one night, for old times sake? We can chalk it up to fantasy, a step away from reality."

She reached her other hand to seize their joined hands. "I can't believe I'm even considering this. Let's get the tab."

They approached his hotel room like two hormonal teens desperate to be alone together, as soon as the door to his room closed he seized her mouth with his, and moments later he was searching with his hands for the buttons on her blouse. She grasped his shirt pulling it up over his body, and then finally over his head. She pulled back for a moment just taking in his exposed torso.

"You've been working out since High School." She observed.

He finally worked the buttons removing her blouse so that she was stood clad only in her bra and jeans. "So have you." He said admiringly.

At that moment the phone in Logans pocket began to ring. Still kissing he retreaved the phone from his pocket glancing at the caller ID over her shoulder. He let out an involuntary sigh that shook Veronica from her lusty haze. "That's her isn't it?." He was silent. "Logan I can't do this. I thought I could, thought I could convince myself that we were together, just for tonight. But I'm not that girl, Elena loves you, and I know you love her, I wont let you do this." She reached for her shirt putting it back on.

"I'm sorry." His expression was one of sadness as he gazed at her lovingly. "It's never the right time for us is it?"

"Maybe we're just not right for each other. I'll always love you Logan." She walked toward him and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye."

She left him alone in his hotel room and headed back to the apartment where her father was up waiting for her. She tried to hide her misery but he would have been able to see through her facade even if he weren't a trained investigator.

"Honey are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine I just, had to lay some old ghosts to rest. You're off tomorrow right?"

"Yeah."

"Let's do something."

"Sure."

She beamed at him. "Good night Daddy." With that she went to bed, where she would shed her tears, and in the morning put her past behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter has taken me a long time to write. I knew I wanted to have a second part, but it didn't come easily, damn my need for a happy ending!

Consequently this isn't a great piece, but it is definitely the end.

Hope you can atleast enjoy it for what I was trying to achieve even if I didn't succeed.

xxx

She opened the curtains in a daze, it was way too early to be out of bed. Today was her first day back at work after having the fortnight off and she wasn't relishing it. After leaving Neptune she had taken a few days to get herself back on an even keel, but she had found herself unable to stop thinking about Logan Echolls. It was like high school all over again, she hadn't had a full nights sleep in over a week.

She left for the office determined to get herself back to normal, She would not spend another minute thinking about him. Her mind betrayed her within moments of making her resolution as she replayed the last conversation they had. "Elena loves you and I know you love her, I wont let you do this." She wiped angrily at the stray tear that coursed it's way down her cheek. "It's never the right time for us is it?" She recalled the pain in his voice as though he were in the car with her, "Maybe were just not right for each other." The truth to her words had hurt more than anything else, she had wanted so desperately to believe that she'd been lying to herself, reality stung.

Again she wiped at her tears, simultaneously willing herself to get a grip. 'You can't turn up for work looking like a wreck, get over it Mars'. After that she managed to stay composed for the remainder of the day, being at work helped her keep her mind off Logan Echolls which was exactly what she needed.

After a few hours she was finally feeling like her head was in a better place, she wasn't prepared for the visitor awaiting her when she returned home.

"Logan?" To say that she was surprised would have been an understatement. "What are you doing here?" She had been aiming for angry, instead all her question revealed was weariness.

"I didn't know where else to go, there wasn't anywhere else I wanted to go." He looked at her meaningfully and all she could do was look away.

"Logan we've been over this." She was suddenly aware of how exhausted she was, "I can't do this again with you."

"I broke up with Elena." His admission was sudden, and she almost didn't believe she had heard him right, but the look he was giving her left no doubt in her mind.

"Why?" Her voice held more anger than she intended. "You love her." Her mind was racing to catch up to her racing heart, she needed to get it under control if she was to make it out of this encounter intact.

"Not enough." The statement was a simple one, but it held so much behind those words. "I love you Veronica. I can't stop thinking about you, I never have been able to. How could I marry her knowing that I would always love you?" He was close to tears now and she realised they were still standing outside her apartment.

"Do you… Do you want to come in for a coffee?" She said ignoring his confession.

"Yeah." They entered in silence and she led him to the kitchen where she wordlessly put on a pot of coffee. When it was ready she poured two cups and they made their way to the lounge where they sat facing each other waiting for someone to speak first.

"What did you come here for Logan?" Veronica finally broke the silence after a couple of sips of her coffee.

He suddenly felt very unsure of himself. Since seeing her again, since kissing her, touching her he hadn't been able to get her off his mind, he felt like he was back in college. He had been sure that they were on the same page, sat here now coffee cup in hand he started to wonder if he was wrong. "I thought…"

"What? That you would come here telling me you were a free agent and what? We are not the same people we were in High School." She was fighting back the tears once again, why was he here? Why couldn't he just let her get on with her life?

"I thought maybe you loved me too."

He looked broken and the tears threatened to break as she gazed at him. She could tell he was being honest with her, she knew him well enough for that, and she did love him too, so why was she resisting? Since she had seen him last she had not been able to think of their encounter without shame, and part of her blamed him for her mistake.

"Logan." It came out in a whisper, she took a deep breath and her voice came out stronger "Do you remember the first time we said 'I love you'?"

"Like it was yesterday." He looked at her, confusion etched into his features as he waited for her to continue.

"I was so mad at you, and you were mad because I was mad and in the heat if the argument you forced it out of me." He nodded, it wasn't quite how he remembered it, but he couldn't argue with the facts. "That is how I remember us, that isn't how a relationship should be. I do love you, but I don't know how we can be together now if we couldn't make it work then."

"Because as you said, we aren't the same people we were then." He rose from his seat, "I'm going to go, you've made it perfectly clear where you stand, and if you don't mind I'd like to leave while I'm still holding onto some of my dignity." He started to walk toward the door.

"Where are you going to go?" He didn't live in town and it was too late for him to drive home.

"I'll find a hotel somewhere. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

His formality made her want to cry all over again, what was this? She didn't cry but today she hadn't been able to stop. "Wait." Her brain had no control when her legs moved toward him. Just as he reached the door she watched her hand stretch out and touch his arm, he turned with a small amount of hope in his eyes.

"I don't…" She had no idea what she wanted to say, her mind didn't have control anymore, she stood up on her toes and leaned toward him, kissing him lightly on his lips. She pulled back briefly for air, and marvelled at how even after years apart he still gave her butterflies. Before the thought had fully formed in her mind their lips were joined again, this time it was him who had leaned into her. She felt her legs moving backwards as he guided her to the living room, now that he had begun he showed no signs of stopping.

They lay together kissing for a few minutes when he started to fumble in his trouser pocket. "Wha…?" Before she could finish his mouth was on hers as he continued to fumble, finally finding the object of his search he pulled the phone from his pocket and switched it off, she eyed him quizzically.

"I don't want us to be interrupted again." Was his explanation as he continued to kiss her, hands moving, exploring the body beneath him. She sighed contentedly and he smiled, "I'm going to do this right this time, I'm not going to let us screw this up."

She smiled too, "I'm going to hold you to that." She laughed letting him know they were on the same page before claiming his mouth with hers again.


End file.
